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meg1983's review against another edition
1.0
At first, I thought it was just too wordy, and then I realized how much information they actually left out! When talking about where people "choose" to live, they glosses over socio-economic reasons, saying barely a paragraph about it. There is no mention of Indigenous people at all! And the whole book is about why we live where we live in Canada! When referring to Europeans immigrating to Canada "for a better life", the authors state that "the government offered Europeans free farmland"!! They claim that Canada was a "big country" that needed people to"fill it up"! Like it was empty when the colonizers arrived??!! It's very upsetting, and this book should not be available at the library, or at least should have a warning message.
cweichel's review
3.0
I like the big picture scope of this book. The answer to why we live where we live includes many different aspects including climate, water access, language, economics and family just to start. It begins with information about why our planet is perfect for us.
However, I wasn't happy to read this part in the section on Immigration. The passage prior is talking about how some countries want people to come. Then there is this:
"A big country needs people to fill it up.
This happened in Canada more than 100 years ago, when the government offered Europeans 160 acres. (65 ha) free farmland in the massive country if they'd hop a (free) ship and come over. It worked. By 1910, Canada's population had doubled."
Notice that there is no mention that that free farmland was actually territory belonging to numerous indigenous peoples?
However, I wasn't happy to read this part in the section on Immigration. The passage prior is talking about how some countries want people to come. Then there is this:
"A big country needs people to fill it up.
This happened in Canada more than 100 years ago, when the government offered Europeans 160 acres. (65 ha) free farmland in the massive country if they'd hop a (free) ship and come over. It worked. By 1910, Canada's population had doubled."
Notice that there is no mention that that free farmland was actually territory belonging to numerous indigenous peoples?
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